Recently, researches into directly measuring the concentration of the NOx gas for controlling the infernal combustion engine or catalysts are proceeding in meeting with intensification of regulations on vehicle exhaust gases.
In particular, researches are going on extensively for a NOx gas concentration sensor of the type in which the oxygen is pumped out by a first oxygen ion pump cell using a solid electrolyte (oxygen conductor) such as zirconia, so as not to cause decomposition of the NOx gas (2NO.fwdarw.N.sub.2 +O.sub.2) by the first oxygen ion pump cell and in which oxygen is further pumped out from the NOx-gas-containing residual gas by the second oxygen ion pump cell for decomposing NOx and measuring the current generated by dissociated oxygen ions for detecting the NOx gas concentration because measurement of the NOx gas concentration is thought to be easily made without being affected by interfering gases contained in the exhaust gases, such as HC or CO.